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If you have this popular seasoning in your kitchen, throw it out

Published Dec 24th, 2020 6:59PM EST
garlic recall
Image: bit24/Adobe

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  • An extremely popular cooking ingredient is now being recalled after a completely different kind of seasoning found its way into containers they shouldn’t have been in.
  • Food Club Garlic Powder is at the center of the recall, but the real problem is that the containers don’t have garlic powder in them at all.
  • Instead, the containers hold “bacon-flavored bits” which contain soy, a known allergen.

If you’re preparing some holiday meals in the days to come, you’re going to want to make sure your ingredients are exactly what they say they are on the label. In a new recall bulletin posted by the FDA, B&G Foods, Inc., is recalling containers that were sold as Food Club Garlic Powder.

It turns out there’s no garlic powder in those packages at all. Instead, the containers include “bacon-flavored bits.” Now, that doesn’t sound so bad for those of us that enjoy bacon, but the problem stems from the fact that the product label doesn’t note that the food inside contains soy, which the bacon bits do. Soy allergies can be extremely serious, so the company is issuing a recall.

Here’s a portion of the recall bulletin, straight from the company itself:

B&G Foods announced today it is voluntarily recalling individual containers of 5.37 oz. Food Club Garlic Powder, with “best by” dates of NOV 19 22 and NOV 20 22, because they mistakenly contain bacon-flavored bits, which contain soy, an allergen undeclared on the garlic powder labels. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to soy run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the bacon-flavored bits contained in the recalled containers. There is no health risk associated with this product for individuals without an allergy to soy.

So, the good news here is that if you don’t have a soy allergy, you’re totally fine. Assuming you like bacon, that is. However, individuals with a soy allergy might not realize that the bacon bits contain soy, and that’s a very serious issue since allergens like soy can be deadly if consumed by someone who is particularly sensitive to them.

In any case, the company says that it has yet to receive any complaints or reports of allergic reactions related to the product, and there might be a very good reason for that. You see, the product is sold in clear containers, meaning that someone shopping for garlic powder probably saw that something didn’t look quite right with the contents and avoided it entirely.

If you happen to have purchased the product and would like a refund, you can contact the company using the information on the official recall bulletin. If you have a soy allergy, obviously avoid eating the bacon-flavored bits at all costs, and return it to the place where you purchased it for a full refund.